# Emergency vehicles; get outta the way, dummy! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 1, 2001, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428 "2001-08-01T02:41:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eo\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ebca7d/32.png) [@Eo\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eo_Echo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428/21 "2001-08-03T01:30:15Z")
And another thing: if there’s a median strip between you and the emergency vehicle, _don’t pull over._ It’s not necessary on divided highways, and in fact it can be downright dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428/22 "2001-08-03T04:20:40Z")
I heard somewhere (TV show on local TV, IIRC) that the people who have the most trouble are VOLUNTEER vehicles. Apparently volunteer firemen in Ontario have _green_ lights in their cars/trucks/minivans, and no one seems to know what they mean, so they are delayed because of that. I had never heard of it until i saw that show (though I did do driver’s ed in Quebec, which to my knowledge does not have the same system). Since, though, I have seen, and yielded to green flashing lights - just in case. I’d rather assume its a volunteer fireman than some dipshit with a new strobe light 🙂 Also, I remember the same show talking about a truck that got stuck at a red light cuz the lady in front didnt want to move through the intersection (empty due to the truck’s presence) cuz the light was red. The druck just bumped into her deliberately and ROLLED her though the intersection until it could pass. I was wondering if that was allowed? Or just accepted under the circumstances? There wasnt much damage, I don’t think - it was a kindly push out of the way. I wonder who did end up paying for the damage? ---
**Author:** ![tevya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tevya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tevya)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428/23 "2001-08-03T14:22:15Z")
I will chime in with the obligatory “I agree!” I’d also like to ask a couple of questions about emergency vehicle rules / etiquette (in the US). Is it necessary to pull over if you are on a multilane highway / expressway or is it OK just to move to the far right lane? Is is necessary to pull over on a 2-4 lane road if you are moving in the opposite direction as the emergency vehicle? For the record, I do on 2 lane roads but not on 4 lanes. On the 4 lane roads, I move in to the far right lane. What do you do in the case of heavy traffic? I.E. If you are in a practically gridlock situation and an emergency vehicle pulls up and there is no where to go? Should you pull on to the shoulder / grass? I would honestly like to know as I have no desire to ever slow an emergency vehicle and sometimes I’m not sure what the appropriate action is. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428/24 "2001-08-03T18:13:54Z")
This topic has been covered on **Police, Camera, Action**. One theory is that the drivers are unable to determine from which direction the siren is coming. One attempt to solve this, at least in Britain, is to alternate the siren with a white noise generator. Our local ambulances (Arlington, VA) combine two sirens on a slight delay. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428/25 "2001-08-03T18:24:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tevya \* > \*\*I will chime in with the obligatory “I agree!” > > I’d also like to ask a couple of questions about emergency vehicle rules / etiquette (in the US). > > Is it necessary to pull over if you are on a multilane highway / expressway or is it OK just to move to the far right lane? > > Is is necessary to pull over on a 2-4 lane road if you are moving in the opposite direction as the emergency vehicle? For the record, I do on 2 lane roads but not on 4 lanes. On the 4 lane roads, I move in to the far right lane. > > What do you do in the case of heavy traffic? I.E. If you are in a practically gridlock situation and an emergency vehicle pulls up and there is no where to go? Should you pull on to the shoulder / grass? > > I would honestly like to know as I have no desire to ever slow an emergency vehicle and sometimes I’m not sure what the appropriate action is. \*\* On an undivided 4 lane road, I’d pull over into the right lane, especially if the emergency vehicle has to negotiate heavy traffic. My route home is a 4-lane undivided road, one westbound lane is closed due to bridge construction and has created heavy traffic for about five blocks. I recently saw a patrol car code-3 use one eastbound lane to get around the traffic. Becaue one can never be sure what is coming, always leave plenty of room between you and the emergency vehicle. If stopped at a red light, you may (and should) pull into the intersection or onto the shoulder to let the EV pass. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428/26 "2001-08-03T19:22:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tevya \* > Is it necessary to pull over if you are on a multilane highway / expressway or is it OK just to move to the far right lane? Open freeways just clear the fastest lane, > [@](#): > > Is is necessary to pull over on a 2-4 lane road if you are moving in the opposite direction as the emergency vehicle? For the record, I do on 2 lane roads but not on 4 lanes. On the 4 lane roads, I move in to the far right lane. Someone else covered this I think, 4 lanes without barricades of some kind however are not a sure thing. Emergency vehicles are allowed to cut into oncoming lanes if deemed safe to do so, > [@](#): > > What do you do in the case of heavy traffic? I.E. If you are in a practically gridlock situation and an emergency vehicle pulls up and there is no where to go? Should you pull on to the shoulder / grass? If you are blocked in, stay where you are until you are able to move safely, at least in my county we would kill our sirens if we saw a locked intersection to prevent people from TRYING to get out of our way and making a bigger mess. I would honestly like to know as I have no desire to ever slow an emergency vehicle and sometimes I’m not sure what the appropriate action is. \*\* [/QUOTE] Go to your DMV and ask for an ambulance licence handbook > [@](#): > > I recently saw a patrol car code-3 use one eastbound lane to get around the traffic. Yup, it happens ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2001, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428/27 "2001-08-03T19:25:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > People who are capable of ignoring the lights and sirens should be shot and hung after slow torture, then drawn and quartered just to make sure. \*\* Nah, how about 911 puts the offenders phone number on their caller ID Block list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/emergency-vehicles-get-outta-the-way-dummy/74428.md?page=1)